WEBVTT REPORTER: THE PRESIDENT'SANNOUNCEMENT HE'LL THROWTRANSGENDER PEOPLE OUT OF THEMILITARY, SURPRISED MANY INWASHINGTON >> IT'S NOT FAIR AND IT'S NOTOK.REPORTER: BUT HERE, IT WASPERSONAL.>> AS A WHITE TRANSGENEREDPERSON LIVING IN VT WHICH ISVERY SECLUDED I THOUGHT I'D HAVEA LITTLE BIT MORE TIME BEFOREHE'D GO AFTER USREPORTER: THREE TRANSGENDERTEENS OPEN UP ABOUT THE POLICYCHANGE, THE PRESIDENT SAID WASRELATED TO THE TREMENDOUS COSTOF MEDICAL TREATMENT FOR THOSESOLDIERS.>> I'M NOT THAT UPSET ABOUT NOTBEING ABLE TO JOIN THE MILITARY.WHAT I AM UPSET ABOUT IS THATIT'S OBVIOUSLY NOT ABOUT FINANCEREPORTER: THEY SEE IT AS PUREDISCRIMINATION, AND FEAR ARIPPLE EFFECT ACROSS THECOUNTRY.>> ANYTHING HE TWEETS REGARDINGTHE LGBT COMMUNITY SEEMS TO JUSTPUSH BIGOTS A LITTLE BIT FURTHERINTO THEIR COMFORT ZONE>> IT'S JUST THE PRESIDENT OFOUR COUNTRY SAYING WE'RE NOTWORTH IT TO HIM. REPORTER: EVEN IN THIS FAIRLYPROGRESSIVE STATE, STATE DATASHOWS TRANSGENDER YOUTH ARE ATRISK, HIGHER RISK OF DEPRESSION,HOMELESSNESS, OF SUICIDE. >> AS A TRANS PERSON YOU'REALWAYS ON EDGE. YOUR'E ALWAYS ALTILE SCARED ABOUT WHAT'S GOINGTO HAPPENREPORTER: WE MET THE GROUP ATOUTRIGHT VERMONT, A STATEWIDEORGANIZATION FOCUSED ON HELPINGLGBT YOUTH.DANA KAPLAN IS EXECUTIVEDIRECTOR, AND HE'S WORRIE>> WHEN THE PRESIDENT OF THEUNITED STATES SAYS ESSENTAILLYYOU'RE A BURDEN, YOUR CARE COSTSUS TOO MUCH MONEY THATREINFORCES THE MESSAGE THATPEOPLE HEAR ON A DAILY BASIS --FROM PERSON WHO HAS THE MOPOWER IN OUR COUNTRYREPORTER: AT LEAST, HE SAID, INVERMONT, THE GOVERNOR AND ENTIRECONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION ARE ALL

Related Content

In Burlington, transgender teenagers reacted with a mixture of fear, anger and scorn.

"I'm not that upset about not being able to join the military," said Elliot Papp, 18, of Randolph. "What I am upset about is that it's obviously not about finance. That's not a real problem if you look at the actual numbers. It's clearly just about discrimination."

Trump, in one tweet, said his decision was driven by the "tremendous" medical costs associated with service members who are transgender.

A Rand Corporation study estimated the Pentagon now employs between 2,000 and 11,000 people who are transgender while total active duty personnel in 2017 is estimated at 1.3 million.

Avi Isaacs-Corcoran, a 17 year old from Montpelier, plans to be a professional photographer, but feels it is plainly unfair to deny an entire career option to young Americans like him.

Others interviewed Thursday at the LGBT youth organization Outright Vermont said a broader concern is how the president's language might ripple through the rest of the country.

"Anything he tweets regarding the LGBT community seems to just push bigots a little bit further into their comfort zone," Isaacs-Corcoran said.